U.S. Army hypersonic weapon test is a success

The U.S. Army successfully tested a new hypersonic delivery system on Thursday. Image: Missile Defense Agency

On
Thursday, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces
Strategic Command conducted the first test flight of the Advanced
Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) concept. At 6:30 a.m. EST (1:30 a.m.
Hawaii-Aleutian Time), a first-of-its-kind glide vehicle, designed to
fly within the earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed and long range,
was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii to
the Reagan Test Site, U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll.

The
test’s objective was to collect data on hypersonic boost-glide
technologies and test range performance for long-range atmospheric
flight. The Army tested a number of systems: aerodynamics; navigation,
guidance, and control; and thermal protection technologies.

According
to Department of Defense, a three-stage booster system launched the AHW
glide vehicle and successfully deployed it on the desired flight
trajectory. The vehicle flew a non-ballistic glide trajectory at
hypersonic speed to the planned impact location at the Reagan Test Site.
Space, air, sea, and ground platforms collected vehicle performance
data during all phases of flight. The data collected will be used by the
Department of Defense to model and develop future hypersonic
boost-glide capabilities.

The
AHW program is managed and executed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile
Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command program office in
Huntsville, Ala. The booster system and glide vehicle were developed by
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. and the thermal
protection system by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research
Development and Engineering Center, Huntsville, Ala.

An environmental report prepared by the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command in June includes a computer-generated model labeled as "Advanced Hypersonic Weapon: Hypersonic Glide Body". Image: U.S. Army

The
Department of Defense is using AHW to develop and demonstrate
technologies for Conventional Prompt Global Strike (CPGS). As part of
the CPGS effort, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency conducted
boost-glide flight tests in April 2010 and August 2011, results from
which were used in planning the AHW flight test.